Teaching Approach and Philosophy by Natalle

"Teaching is an honor and earns the respect of others.  As teachers of Interpersonal Communication, we bring honor both to the communication discipline and to the process that literally binds people together in society.  Educating others is a serious responsibility that requires a teacher to know him- or herself before imparting, negotiating, or interpreting knowledge in the classroom can ever begin." (Natelle)

TEACHING PHILOSOPHY:  Natalle impresses the importance of understanding our individual teaching style as we begin shaping our teaching philosophy.  We must ask ourselves introspective questions about what shaped our desire to teach, what experiences have we had, and what we want to accomplish in a classroom setting.  Natalle also encourages us to list strengths and challenges of being a teacher and set goals for personal development.

To be a competent teacher, Natalle suggests that we need technical expertise as well as a philosophy on teaching to guide us in the way we teach, share and help our students understand knowledge.  This teaching philosophy is grounded in cultural values, ethics and morals.

EFFECTIVE TEACHING:  Ken Bain, Director for Teaching Excellence at New York University, says that effective teachers approach the classroom setting with a philosophy of human learning.  "It is in the attitude of teachers, in their faith in their students ability to achieve, in their willingness to take their students seriously and to let them assume responsibility of their own education, and in their commitment  to let all policies and practices flow from central learning objectives. ... that we can find effective teaching."

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT:  Natalle recommends three ways to stay current as we develop as teachers.

1. Create and maintain a portfolio
2. Participate in ongoing teacher training
3. Use consulting/training skills to bring real world experience to the classroom

WHAT I HAVE LEARNED:  Good teaching is more than simply having a knack for it.  It is important to create a teaching philosophy and to set goals about what we want to accomplish in the classroom.  Our philosophy is initially developed and then revised and added to over time as we gain insights and experience.
  
My strengths:  I enjoy teaching and interacting with students. I like to help students feel comfortable with the class and material being presented.  I also strive to be conversational and approachable in my teaching style and in my interactions with students.

My goals:  I would like to be more proactive at incorporating additional learning tools into my presentations (power point, music, graphics, U-tube, videos).  I would also like to facilitate more group learning activities.  I want to become more conversant with the theories of interpersonal communications to teach and disseminate information with more credibility.